


Tell Your Baby That I'm Your Baby

by letsgetdowntobizness (orphan_account)



Category: Choices - Fandom, The Royal Romance (Visual Novel)
Genre: F/F, Possibly Unrequited Love, Sleepovers, Unrequited Love, kiara's pov, post book three, pre ezekiel/penelope wedding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-04
Updated: 2019-04-04
Packaged: 2020-01-04 14:55:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18345947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/letsgetdowntobizness
Summary: "It was the night of her best friend’s Bachelorette party, and Kiara was staring at herself in her bathroom mirror and trying not to cry. "Kiara is in love with her best friend. Penelope is getting married, but not to Kiara.One last night of freedom.





	Tell Your Baby That I'm Your Baby

It was the night of her best friend’s Bachelorette party, and Kiara was staring at herself in her bathroom mirror and trying not to cry. 

It wasn’t that she didn’t know whether Penelope reciprocated her feelings, Penelope had made it clear several times over the years that they would never be anything but friends. But lately, that, paired with Penelope marrying her brother, coupled with all the stress and near-death experiences in the past few months had made Kiara stressed and depressed on the night when she should feel nothing but excitement for her friend. 

She felt that Penelope could sense that she had been distancing herself from her for the past few months, ever since she and Zeke had announced their engagement, but Penelope hadn’t brought it up and neither had Kiara. 

And it definitely wasn’t that Kiara was the only out royal in the court, Hana and Riley were married and nobody batted an eye. In fact, Cordonia’s nobility was far more accepting than most countries Kiara had visited.

However, it didn’t change the fact that the one girl Kiara couldn’t seem to get over was irrevocably in love with someone else. The fact that the man was Kiara’s brother was just the cherry on top. 

But, she reminded herself, steeling her expression as she fixed her hair in the mirror. Penelope is your best friend. She’s happy. You must act happy for her, too.

She swallowed and grabbed her clutch. The limo would be here any minute. She could do this. 

She had to. 

\--  
While Riley and Hana’s co-bachelorette party had been a night-long romp, Penelope’s was remarkably different. After a long night of dinner, a show, and then going to an old-fashioned American swing-dance themed bar, the ladies found themselves crashing at Penelope’s estate for a simple slumber party. 

Kiara was curled on the parlor’s sofa while everyone was asleep on the floor around her, tugging on the seam of her guest pajamas, replaying the scene in her head of pulling Penelope onto the dance floor, of Penelope pulling her close, her right hand clasped in hers and her hand on her waist as they swayed together.

There had been a moment when Kiara looked up from Penelope’s shoulder into her eyes and Penelope looked back and, _god_ , she wanted to kiss her so badly and she could’ve sworn that Penelope had looked at her lips but, at that moment, the song changed. The moment was broken. They stepped apart from each other, and the night continued on like normal.  


And if Kiara stepped aside for a moment to fan her face and control her blush, no one needed to know.

She was lost in her thoughts when she noticed someone stirring out of the corner of her eye. When she glanced over, she saw Penelope, propped up on her elbows, watching her. 

“You’re still awake?” Penelope said, brow furrowed. 

Kiara shrugged. Penelope pushed herself up and made her way over to the couch, stepping softly over the other girls, asleep on their mattresses.

Penelope curled up in the space between Kiara's legs and the back of the couch, pulling her knees to her chest. She rested her hands nonchalantly on Kiara's calves and Kiara had to resist the urge to jerk her leg away, uncomfortable by the casual contact.. 

“Thanks for the party,” Penelope said. Kiara met her eyes. 

“It was all of us.” 

“Yes, but you're my maid of honor and you planned it all.”

Kiara grinned “I suppose.”

Penelope smiled back. “And thank you for finding places that allowed dogs, especially.”

Kiara smiled. It had been hard, but ultimately worth it for how happy it had made Penelope to have Merlin and Morgana with her on her night.

“I'm glad you're happy.” Kiara hesitated for a moment. “You are happy, yes?”

Penelope's eyes went soft. She looked out at their friends. 

“I am.”

“That's good.”

They sat in silence for a moment. Penelope turned to Kiara and asked, the words rushing out with a hint of fear in them, “We'll still be friends, right? After I'm married? I hear life is different and then you get other friends who are married and you-” 

Kiara cut her off, knowing from years of experience that it was better to stop her from spiraling further. She sat up, facing Penelope over her bent legs. “Of course we'll still be friends. Penelope, that's one thing you never need to worry about.” She swallowed before continuing, “there is nothing that could take me away from you.” They gazed across the couch from each other, and Kiara became hyper-aware of everywhere they were touching.

Penelope took a breath like she was going to say something then stopped. She did it again. Kiara turned her gaze away.

She figured it was now or never. In a week Penelope would be married. In a week, her brother would wed the girl she loved and then it would be too late.

“Do you love him?” 

Kiara could feel Penelope looking at her, but she didn’t look up. Penelope always had an odd penchant for intense eye contact during conversations, but Kiara was almost never up to maintaining it. She had been taught to hold eye contact in official conversation, but it never felt the same as when she was talking to Penelope. 

“Yes.” 

It was as though Kiara could hear nothing but static. Her face was hot. She crossed her arms in front of her chest. 

“Can I ask you a question too?” Penelope said tentatively. 

Kiara, not trusting herself to speak, could only nod. 

“Are you happy for me? Truly happy?”

Kiara glanced up once into Penelope’s eyes, and they were watching her so earnestly and softly that she nearly melted. She knew all it would take is one more word, one more lie, a simple yes, of course, for Penelope to drop the conversation, but something was halting her ability to fake an answer. Perhaps it was the fact that Penelope seemed to be truly expecting the truth, perhaps it was the casual intimacy of the two of them sitting on the couch, makeup off and pajamas on, with their friends all asleep around them, perhaps it was simply that Kiara was tired of lying to her best friend about the very nature of their relationship. 

So, because she couldn’t bring herself to say it out loud, she simply pulled her legs under her, kneeling on the couch, and leaned over and kissed Penelope on the cheek. 

“I am happy that you are happy, my love.”

And she met Penelope’s gaze, and she saw Penelope glance at her lips in much the same way that she had when they were dancing tonight, and countless times before. Kiara stayed kneeling for a moment, her hand cupping Penelope’s face, and then pulled away, glancing down at the fabric of the couch. 

“I think I’m tired now.” She said, and it was true. She was exhausted. 

“Oh, okay. I-” Penelope hesitated, then slowly slid off the couch. “I’ll leave you alone. Are you going to sleep on the couch?”

“Yes.” Kiara didn’t think she would be able to stand sleeping next to Penelope tonight. 

“All right,” Kiara could hear the tinge of hurt in Penelope’s voice, and it caused a pang in her stomach. To deal with it, she turned so her back was facing Penelope. 

“Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Kiara. I love you.”

She didn’t reply.

After a long enough time had passed, Kiara quietly flipped over and gazed at her friend, at the gentle rise and fall of her chest. She was silently kicking herself for not being able to finally confess her feelings, but, she reminded herself, Penelope was happy. 

Penelope was happy, and that was all that mattered.


End file.
